Jessamyn,

My 2 cents :-)

I think the most common 'feature' that busts a jam is songs that drop or
add a beat to a measure. Also, it's impossible to hear where some chord
changes are by following he accordion left hand :-)

I've always thought that it's hard to jam on folk music. One either knows
the arrangement or not, unless it's very simple ..

Also, an interesting problem is presented to the contemporary Cajun music author.
If one tries to sound too 'traditional' they may be accused of being derivative.
If one writes too far out of the idiom, it's no longer 'Cajun'.

--bn

Hey Braves, regarding jam busting tunes, I don't think that any one tune is causing the problems mentioned in this thread. I think that you are encountering a typical trait of traditional folk music in that one tune can be played several ways depending on what region the musician is from. I have seen one tune with several different titles or one title that applies to more than one tune. I have experienced this when I used to play traditional French music on Hurdy Gurdy. Same thing when I played in a Polka band back in the 70s and we would jam with other bands. I know of two steps with two different titles that apply to both of them. It can get confusing but that is what a jam is for. To share ideas and variations of playing a tune. I frequently see this crop up in the Irish sessions I play at. I have a jig that has two different B parts. I also have a reel with a title that applies to a couple other reels and all are different. This is common in all genres of folk music. What really helps at a session is to announce what you want to play. Let the others know if there is a different A or B part and how many times you will play the tune before going on to another. We do this at the Irish sessions here in the Boston area and it works quite well. The nice thing is, if a musician doesn't know the tune or a part of the tune then they don't play, thus the set is not ruined. Of course there will always be someone in denial who will play poorly. This is bound to happen no matter what genre you are playing. Overall, I enjoy a good session. You meet great people, excellent musicians and can learn a lot if you are willing to listen.